Digital Art Illustrations and Animations

Sparrows is an artist and Illustrator of the 21st century.  He creates art, magical and animated Illustrations, whilst keeping his anonymity intact.  We have no other information about him or her, other than their website.   The beauty of the illustrations is that, not everything moves in them, so you have to go round and inspect every part of it, waiting for the surprising change of scene, in that particular portion.  There are quite a few animations on the page so please be patient while they load.

Animated Oil Paintings to tell the story of Loving Vincent Van Gogh

If you love Vincent Van Gogh, this is a the post for you, many hand painted paintings have been created to build them up to become, the first fully painted feature film, in the world.  It tells the story of the life of Vincent Van Gogh, though his paintings.  12 oil paintings per second, all done by over 100 painters, trained in the same style.  The Film is directed by Polish painter and director Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman.  We have included 2 videos, one explaining what goes into the film and the 2016 trailer for the film.

Paintings with Intensity of Expression

Russ Mills is a talented British Artist, that mixes Traditional and Digital Art, to compose his paintings.  The area he focuses on the most, is the face and the fantastic expressions he is able to paint on creations.  He doesn't seem to go for the beautifully precise and realistic look, but rather, the fine lines on the face and graphic art, for the rest.  It is an amazing technique, that gives your eyes a lot to look at, but ultimately pulls the focus, onto the face.

The Zoo on our Streets, Black and White Photography

Lithuanian Artist Ceslovas Cesnakevicius, went around European cities, to take the base photographs for his latest project, The Zoo.  In this photo manipulation exercise, Cesnakevicius pictures animals going about their own business, while we (human), are busying ourselves with our own lives.  This already happens to some extent, in places like India, where cows are able to roam freely through the street and no one really pays any special attention, as it is a part of daily life.

Painting Art and using a Plate as Canvas

Jacqueline Poirier aka (The Crazy Plate Lady), is the Resident Artist at The Ritz-Carlton in Toronto.  As mentioned on the title, she paints on plates, her subject matter include: Abstract, Portraits, Canada, Animals and Food.  We chosen to feature a mixture of all of these subjects, in today's post.  Poirier has painted 1500 plates to date, as you can imagine, we have shown just a small selection below, have a look at the end of the post, there is a big group of plates, enlarge it to see it better.

Architecture of the Recycled, Reclaimed and Local, Hut on Stilts

Japanese Architect Nozomi Nakabayashi, grew up in Tokyo, Japan where she was inspired by the way people interacted with architecture.  The Hut on Stilts was a group collaboration with a design and build team consisting of her, Mark Torrens, Elizabeth Cunningham, Marco Bencivenga, Jack Hawker, James Stubbs, Federico Forestiero, Manvir Hansra, with photos by Henrietta Williams.  The small timber construction was completed in February 2015.  The hut is meant to be, a quiet retreat from the city for the client, who is a writer.  The elevated construction is to be a place for relaxation and inspiration.  Below are the materials used:

Surreal and Realistic Physical Fragment Sculptures

Japanese sculptor and photographer Yuichi Ikehata (Kakuunohito) creates these beautiful and haunting sculptures.  They are made out of a wire structure, which he covers with a mixture of paper and clay, leaving part of it exposed and the other part painted to look realistic enough, to convey emotions.  The looks on the faces of these sculptures are not happy ones, they look like they are depicting scenes of struggle and suffering.  The hand clasping the foot, has to be one of the most evocative in the series, what do you think?

Photographs of the Enchanted Fishing Village

Hungarian Amateur Photographer Viktor Egyed, accidentally came across this collection of abandoned fishing huts in Szödliget, a few miles from Budapest.  The scene, is peaceful and serene, it almost looks staged for a movie.  The slight fog and the beautiful reflection, this fishing lake provides, really make for the look, of an enchanted place.

Hubcap Creatures and other Car Parts Animal Sculptures

British Artist Ptolemy Elrington, has a degree in Design and has worked in theatre and set design & construction.  As well as his day job, he loves creating sculptures using found and recycled materials, which at the moment include: shopping trolleys, scrap metal and car wheel trims.  Have a look below and you will probably find your favourite animal, recreated with what most of us regard as rubbish...

Dotillism Paintings Mandala on Stones, Canvas and Clothes

Australian Artist Elspeth McLean has become very well known for her dot drawings, which she calls Dotillism, inspired by stippling, the drawing technique.  She draws Mandalas - ritual religious symbols, initially found in Indian Religion. They are supposed to be a representation of the universe and all things in it.  Lately, the word symbolises concentric symmetric geometric patterns, loved for the their artistic complexity and beauty.   An important aspect of McLean's acrylic paintings, is not just the complex pattern, but also the use beautifully complimentary, vibrant, colors she uses.  See how they are made in the Videos below.

Drawings of Rikiki the Mouse and his Famous Friends

Self-taught Swiss artist and Psychologist Loïc Apreda, has created these lovely drawings / illustrations with Rikiki.  He is a little mouse that gets into all sorts of adventures and scrapes.  Rikiki is seen hanging around famous movie and cartoon characters like Jedi Master Yoda and Totoro.  Apreda's day-job involves working as a social worker, in a home for the elderly and he loves creating illustrations in his spare time.

Paintings of the Sea from 1840 to 1900

Crimean Artist Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (Иван Константинович Айвазовский) lived between 1817-1900.  He was well known at the time for being a prolific artist, it is estimated that throughout his lifetime, he painted about 6000 paintings. He recreated battles, biblical iconography and ancient mythology, but his most popular subject, was his representation of seascapes.  He was considered, at that time, a commercial artist, that gave more and more, of what the public loved.  For this post, we have decided to concentrate on his beautiful and varied illustrations of the sea.  One last thing, Aivazovsky made a lot of money through his art and spent a lot of it, on good causes.

Photography with Animal Faces of the Wild

Freelance American Photographer Devin Mitchell is a high end photographer but, is known for his photo manipulations.  Mitchell superimposes the images of animal faces on human models and blends them.  He is different from most of the artist that deal with this concept, because it isn't a straight swap, you can still see some of the features of the human, covered by fur, pay special attention, it is done really well, with some having more coverage than others, where it is more subtle.

Acrylic Paintings of Portraits and Places

Even though Simon Hennessey's acrylic paintings may look like photographs, he points out that he only takes a photo as a source of inspiration.  He then adds / removes aspects and details, to make the painting his own, transforming it from a representation of the real world, to imaginative creations based on a concept.  Enjoy the reality of the world seen through Hennessey's eyes.

Architecture in Upcycled Furniture and Suitcase Sculptures

All forms of upcycling are special and in most cases unique, Ted Lott's creations are no different.  He takes items that have a history, one of more owners that have spent time, shared experiences with their possessions.  In the case of the suitcase they have literally been on a journey.  Lott takes these items and gives them and architectural feel making them in to small habitations.  We love how he keeps the wood from the Architectural part bare, so that we can easily distinguish the old from the new, but appreciate how well they are integrated with one another.

Architecture with the Turntable UFO Saucer Home

Domespace is the creation of company Solaleya.  As well as detailing the features of a specific project, the one in the video below, we have included pictures of other projects to give a more complete picture of this home.  Lets start with some statistics: It is a 3 bedroom house, weighs 40 tonnes, built in France and then shipped, flat packed, to New York State.  The 28 acre land, cost $250,000 and construction was $500,000.  It is cyclone and earthquake resistant.  The next point sound like a bit of a gimmick but it isn't.  You can rotate the house using a remote control, which means that, in the summer you can turn the main rooms from the sun, keeping it cooler and in the winter you can turn it towards the sun, to keep it wormer.  This translates in a saving in cooling and heating.  We have included a video and more images below, to show variation of uses and layouts for this kind of structure.

Pencil Drawings Illusions that Look 3D

American Artist Christina Empedocles is a very accomplished artist, that is capable of fooling our eyes into thinking that we are looking at 3D images, when we are looking at two dimensional pencil drawings on paper.  The level of detail associated with shadows, light flare from the light source and the paper crumpling, help make these drawings, an amazing feat of artistry.

Traditional and Digital Art Portraits in New York

Japanese Artist Kei Meguro, now lives and works in New York, as an Illustrator and Graphic Designer.  As the title suggests, she marries the best techniques of both worlds, Traditional and the Digital, to produce her drawings. This is a quote from Meguro on how she separates the tasks between them: "Since charcoal and graphite powder tend to get a bit messy, I scan my final drawings then clean up the smudges to achieve a crisper look in Photoshop. I also add color and play with layers of textures as well."

Here and There, Surreal Oil Paintings

Jennifer Presant describes herself as having had a training in figurative realism and a background in graphic design.  The following is an extract of how she views her work: "My paintings address the complexity of memory, by blurring the lines between recollection, projection, and reality."  Imagine that, having part of your bedroom or sitting room in the here and now and part of it, as one of your favourite places, that you can access whenever you want. Had a hard day at work? When you get home, you can go and relax on a sunny beach or take a stroll into a snowy landscape, these are 2 of an infinite amount of choices you can make, which would be yours?

Paintings of Animal - Human Hybrids on the Subway

With a BA in Art & Art History and a BS in Astrophysics, Matthew Grabelsky shows us his artistic credentials by Paintings these realistic scenes of animal - human hybrids, travelling on the Subway / Underground, in New York.  If you have a look at the paintings with the lion head, the detail that he is able to paint on the newspaper portion of the painting, is just amazing. Details and life like colours are what make these paintings so realistic and mesmerising to look at.

Paintings of Surreal seeds that grow in our Imagination

Finnish Artist Pete Revonkorpi always wanted to be a writer and had a predilection towards Children's Stories.  He then realised that these stories are always coupled with illustration, it was time to learn.  In his interview Revonkorpi says that he has a minimalist approach towards his drawings, he tries not to clutter them with what is not absolutely necessary.  Maybe keeping things simple, helps kick-start the viewers imagination, to fill in the picture, imagining the rest of the world Revonkorpi starts for us.

Illustrations of the Incredible Adventures of a Flying Mouse

German freelance Illustrator and Book Author Torben Kuhlmann, has always had a creative streak, that saw him not only creating art from a young age, but also, all sorts of machines and contraptions.  He has been alternating working and studying, drawing and writing in his own time, Lindbergh - The story of a flying mouse.  Even though we have no story to accompany it, with a bit of imagination you can tie the charming images into a lovely little story, by imagining why he was driven to make the machine and the problems he had to overcome.  The story you will tell yourself will be as good as your imagination is, exercise it and it will do wonders for you...

Architecture in Tiny Cottage in Paris Building Courtyard

This Tiny Cottage sits in a Courtyard in the middle of Four Buildings in Paris.  Airbnb describe it as a cosy "Doll's House" that measures 20m² (about 215ft²).  On the ground floor it has a Kitchen and Sitting Room, whilst on the first floor the Bedroom and en-suite Shower Room / Toilet.  This is a holiday rental home and it is located in the 9th arrondissement, the legendary bohemian neighbourhood. The surroundings are filled with wine and cheese shops, fine restaurants, designer and vintage stores, markets, bakeries, chocolaterie, historical cafes and hip bars.  It sounds and looks like a wonderful place.

The Cracked Portrait, Pencil Drawing and Glass

In these Hyper Realistic drawings, Japanese Artist Taisuke Mohri, uses striated shards of glass to deform and stretch, his otherwise perfect Portraits.  It's an amazing technique, that adds interest thanks to the imperfection that the glass causes.  We have included, for most of the drawings, details, so that you can appreciate the effect of the glass and the perfection of the execution of the images.

Detailed Drawings Celebrating Movement

Beautiful Drawings by Colombian Illustrator Cesar Del Valle.  We love the detail his drawings carry, coupled with the interaction with their surroundings.  All of his models are doing something, walking the tightrope, listening through the wall, flying etc.  You can have a look at the drawings where you can imagine what they are doing or looking for.

Surreal Photo Manipulation with a Son's Help

Danish Artist Adrian Sommeling swapped canvas, oils and brushes for a Camera, Laptop and Photoshop Brushes, to produce his images.  His job mostly consists of advertising work and has worked for numerous companies and government agencies.  In his spare time he loves to create surreal images, mostly involving his son.  He also travels around the world to give workshops, very jealous that sound really nice, to teach all of the tricks and secrets that are involved in making amazing images, like the ones below.

Surreal Architecture in Black and White Photography

Korean Artist Beomsik Won, creates Photographic Architectural Sculptures.  Amongst the many photos on his site, we have chosen a selection of Black and White images to bring to you.  The style of composition is not always the same, sometimes he gets different buildings and positions into a bigger structure.  Other times he gets one image and copies it like in the Colosseum and Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, below.  A lot of work goes into making sure that these buildings look like they belong together, from lighting, shadows and the impression / illusion of a perfect fit.

Mouserflies and Friends Paintings, X-Men Among Animals

Beautiful Paintings, (Acrylic on Wood Panel) of enhanced Mice, a Squirrel and Fish, by American Artist Lisa Ericson.  The ones featured the most, are the mouse and butterfly hybrids.  They are followed by the fish, that carry their own coral as a tail and finally the squirrel, that like the mice, sports a lovely set of butterfly wings.  These are the X-Men of the animal kingdom.

Miniature Pencil Graphite Sculptures

Thomas Lynall is a specialist bespoke jewellery manufacturer, located in Birmingham's prestigious Jewellery Quarter, in the UK.  He has been working in this profession for the last 10 years, mostly making jewellery out of precious metals.  Today, we are going to have a look at his miniature pencil sculptures.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).  Enjoy these amazingly small and delicate sculptures.

Black Cloud Portraits Stippling Drawings and Spray Paint

A very interesting technique by Russian Freelance illustrator and Artist, Slava Triptih.  He combines Spray Painting and Stippling, to paint and draw these lovely organic pieces of Art.  He first spray paints an organic shape and then he uses his pen to add a lot of tiny dots to construct a portrait.   Beautiful new technique that really adds a flow and movement to the image.  He explains how he likes to push himself to create and find new way of seeing and creating art.  An inspiring message to all of the budding artists out there.

Clever Illustrations that Change with the Point of View

Shanghai Tango, who gives no other clue as to his or her identity, has drawn a large number of clever and witty Illustrations.  They makes us think about the things around us and how taking in more than one point of view, can make all of the difference, when trying to understand a story (you will get the point as you go through them).  As well as the two vignettes above, have a look at the brilliant ones below.  Enjoy...